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  1. #1
    Astonishing Member Electricmastro's Avatar
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    Default Favorite Golden Age (1938-1956) comics.

    My personal favorites include:

    Ace Comics: Lightning Comics (1940), Super-Mystery Comics (1940), Four Favorites (1941)

    Centaur Comics: Amazing Mystery Funnies (1938), Keen Detective Funnies (1938), Amazing-Man Comics (1939)

    Fawcett Comics: Master Comics (1940), Whiz Comics (1940), Bulletman (1941), Captain Marvel Adventures (1941), Spy Smasher (1941), Wow Comics (1941), Captain Marvel, Jr. (1942), Captain Midnight (1942), The Marvel Family (1945), Mary Marvel (1945)

    Fiction House: Fight Comics (1940), Planet Comics (1940)

    Fox Comics: Blue Beetle (1939), Mystery Men Comics (1939), Wonderworld Comics (1939), Phantom Lady (1947)

    Harvey Comics: Speed Comics (1939), Green Hornet Comics (1942), All New Comics (1944), Black Cat Comics (1946)

    Holyoke Publishing: Captain Aero Comics (1941), Cat-Man Comics (1941), Suspense Comics (1943)

    Lev Gleason Publications: Silver Streak Comics (1939), Daredevil Comics (1941), Boy Comics (1942)

    MLJ Comics/Archie Comics: Top-Notch Comics (1939), Shield-Wizard Comics (1940), Pep Comics (1940), Zip Comics (1940), Black Hood Comics (1943)

    National Allied Publications, Inc./All-American Publications/DC Comics: Detective Comics (1937), Action Comics (1938), Adventure Comics (1938), Superman (1939), All-Star Comics (1940), Batman (1940), Flash Comics (1940), Green Lantern (1941), World's Finest Comics (1941), Wonder Woman (1942)

    Nedor Comics: Exciting Comics (1940), Thrilling Comics (1940), America's Best Comics (1942), The Black Terror (1942), Wonder Comics (1944)

    Novelty Press: Blue Bolt (1940), Target Comics (1940)

    Prize Publications: Prize Comics (1940), Headline Comics (1943)

    Quality Comics: Smash Comics (1939), Police Comics (1941), Plastic Man (1943)

    Timely Comics/Marvel Comics: Marvel Mystery Comics (1939), The Human Torch (1940), Mystic Comics (1940), All Winners Comics (1941), Captain America Comics (1941), Sub-Mariner Comics (1941), USA Comics (1941), Blonde Phantom (1946)

  2. #2
    Invincible Member Kirby101's Avatar
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    The Spirit, no contest.
    There came a time when the Old Gods died! The Brave died with the Cunning! The Noble perished locked in battle with unleashed Evil! It was the last day for them! An ancient era was passing in fiery holocaust!

  3. #3
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    All the Disney comics published by Western and distributed by Dell.

  4. #4
    Extraordinary Member MRP's Avatar
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    I think I actually prefer the comic strips of this period to the comic books, stuff like Raymond's Flash Gordon, Canniff's Terry and the Pirates & Steve Canyon, Segar's Popeye, Kelly's Pogo, Hogarth's Tarzan, Foster's Tarzan & Prince Valiant, Falk's Phantom, etc.

    Eisner's Spirit s sort of a hybrid between the two, a 7-8 page story as part of a 20+ page pamphlet included in the Sunday papers, and like Kirby101, it is one of my favorite things produced in this period.

    If we are looking at pure comic books though, my favorites would be:

    the first half dozen to dozen Doctor Fate strips in More Fun before they reveal his origin and are doing Lovecraftian horror, the strip seems to morph into a more standard super-hero strip after they revel the origin and becomes a lot less interesting, and by the time they got to the half-helmet it has become generic super-hero fare, essentially Superman in a different costume with gas replacing Krytponite as the MacGuffin to beat Fate that has nothing unique to Dr. Fate in the strip at all.

    The first 10 or Batman strips in Detective (pre-Robin). Again the introduction of Robin transforms the character of Batman into something different and changes the tone of the strip into something I find less interesting, still good, but not a favorite after that.

    Early Siegel & Shuster Superman, especially the pre-radio show stuff where Superman's powers are much more limited (leaping not flying for instance) and Supes is a crusader against injustice against the common man.

    The Hawkman strip in Flash Comics, especially the Kubert stuff

    Carl Bark's Ducks, just a sheer joy to read

    Frazettta's work on Buck Rogers especially the Famous Funnies covers from 209-216

    Planet Comics from Fiction House, just a plethora of fun sci-fi

    The Sheena strips in Jumbo Comics and Sheena's own book

    the early Simon & Kirby Captain America stuff, and Everett Sub-Mariner stuff from Timely

    The Angel strips in Marvel Mystery from Timely

    moving into some 50s stuff...

    Kubert's Tor published by St. John's

    EC stuff, most of it, but especially Piracy, Aces High, Valor, the horror and crime books.

    There's lots more I like, but that's the stuff that stands out for me.

    -M
    Last edited by MRP; 11-20-2019 at 04:23 PM.
    Comic fans get the comics their buying habits deserve.

    "Opinion is the lowest form of human knowledge. It requires no accountability, no understanding." -Plato

  5. #5
    Astonishing Member Electricmastro's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by MRP View Post
    I think I actually prefer the comic strips of this period to the comic books, stuff like Raymond's Flash Gordon, Canniff's Terry and the Pirates & Steve Canyon, Segar's Popeye, Kelly's Pogo, Hogarth's Tarzan, Foster's Tarzan & Prince Valiant, Falk's Phantom, etc.
    Yeah, I suppose I should mention my favorite comic strips that were running at the time as well:

    Krazy Kat (1913-1944)

    Thimble Theatre/Popeye (1919-present)

    Felix the Cat (1923-1966)

    Buck Rogers in the 25th Century A.D. (1929-1967)

    Mickey Mouse (1930-1995)

    Dick Tracy (1931-present)

    Flash Gordon (1934-2003)

    Terry and the Pirates (1934-1973)

    The Phantom (1936-present)

    The Spirit (1940-1952)

  6. #6
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    I'm a fan of 1940s-1960s comic strips, from the era when so many action and soap opera strips had wonderful art. You can follow re-runs of lots of those strips on a daily basis on the King Features "Comics Kingdom" site in the "vintage" section.

  7. #7
    Mighty Member My Two Cents's Avatar
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    Anything Matt Baker drew
    Anything Marvel Marvel appeared in
    Carl Barks Ducks
    Jack Cole Plastic Man
    Will Eisner Spirit
    All Star Comics

  8. #8
    Astonishing Member Electricmastro's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by My Two Cents View Post
    Jack Cole Plastic Man
    Speaking of which, for awhile I couldn't think of other Golden Age artists that I felt drew wackier than Jack Cole, but then I discovered Fletcher Hanks (Space Smith), Munson Paddock (Mars Mason), and Basil Wolverton (Space Patrol), who became some of my favorites alongside Cole.


  9. #9
    Astonishing Member Electricmastro's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by seismic-2 View Post
    All the Disney comics published by Western and distributed by Dell.
    Ah, Walt Disney's Comics & Stories, right?

  10. #10
    Boisterously Confused
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    I'm also going to vote for Dr. Fate's full-helment adventures, including his All-Star Comics #3 story. There was an awesome Lovecraftian edge to those stories. I don't recall the issue, but the story where a sorcerer reads from a forbidden book, causing seas to boil and trees to bow, is a particular favorite.

  11. #11
    Astonishing Member Electricmastro's Avatar
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    Just discovered what comic books are said to have been on sale in May, 1938.


  12. #12
    Mighty Member Zauriel's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Electricmastro View Post
    Ah, Walt Disney's Comics & Stories, right?
    Yeah carl barks is a terrific storyteller. I enjoyed his uncle scrooge stories

  13. #13
    Extraordinary Member PaulBullion's Avatar
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    If people haven't checked out a lot of Golden Age comics, here is a good source to view and download thousands of them legally:

    https://digitalcomicmuseum.com/
    "How does the Green Goblin have anything to do with Herpes?" - The Dying Detective

    Hillary was right!

  14. #14
    Astonishing Member Electricmastro's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Zauriel View Post
    Yeah carl barks is a terrific storyteller. I enjoyed his uncle scrooge stories
    Speaking of funny animals, I stumbled across Dick Ryan’s work he did for Centaur Comics, from a time before Disney and Looney Tunes comic books were common, and while it’s not quite Carl Barks-level quality, I was still amused by it (Funny Pages v2 #1, September 1937).






  15. #15
    Astonishing Member Electricmastro's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by My Two Cents View Post
    Jack Cole Plastic Man
    Agreed.

    Police Comics #11 (1942):



    Police Comics #30 (1944):



    Police Comics #47 (1945):

    Last edited by Electricmastro; 06-12-2020 at 08:58 PM.

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